It’s been one year since the start of the Rape of Marawi, referred to by the Media as the Marawi “Siege” and later, the Battle of Marawi.

I have refrained from writing about Marawi because it is very hard for me to accept that it was happening / it really happened. It’s really a miracle, but in a very negative sense.

I never imagined that the Philippine government and military can be so evil-minded. And they were/are supported by the Supreme Court and Congress and most of the Filipino people.

I never imagined that the Mranaos or the Moros would allow the Philippine government to totally destroy one significant city. I never imagined the Moro armed groups like the MILF, MNLF, BIFF ,etc. to just watch as the bombs fall on Marawi.

I never imagined intelligent Filipinos not doing anything to stop the Rape of Marawi, except for some rare individuals like Cong. Edcel Lagman, who almost single-handedly opposed the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.

I never imagined the Supreme Court and the Senate to agree on long-term Martial Law in Mindanao when it is palpably AGAINST the Constitution and totally WITHOUT basis.

I never imagined Moro leaders could go down the level of cowards and lapdogs just so they can maintain their political positions.

I never imagined that people can be so idiotic as to believe that it takes six or so months to defeat 50, or even 200, armed civilians against the might of a country’s armed forces — thousands of troops armed with tanks, armored vehicles, heavy firepower including RPGs, jet planes armed with so many bombs plus the aid of US military advisers and drones.

I never imagined that people can be so intellectually damaged as to to believe that to defeat a hundred or so armed civilians, even if they claimed to be part of a sinister international terrorist group, one needs to pulverize practically a whole city.

I never imagined that people have lost their sense of logical reasoning as to believe that the military that pulverized a whole city in order to defeat a ragtag army of 100 of so civilians, with no surface-to-air missiles or anti-tank weapons, would not kill civilians or loot the houses, even if presented evidence to the contrary.

I never thought that people would be so naive and gullible as to believe that even after declaring total victory over supposed enemies, the government still refused to let the residents back to their ruined houses — for months! What were they doing? Covering up their crimes of murder and robbery by burning the houses with tell-tale signs?

I never thought the the world media, organizations like the UN and ASEAN and citizens of the world would just believe the crap that the Philippine government and media present to the world.

I never thought I would see the day when Mranaos lose their dignity, self-esteem, pride and their vaunted MARATABAT.

I so miss my eldest brother, Macapanton Rashid Yahya Abbas, Jnr. He was the brain of the Bangsa Moro revolution. If he were alive today, the Rape of Marawi would probably have not happened. He was beholden to no one and he was always fighting for Moro freedom. He had wide powerful connections – both local and international – and was well respected by almost everyone.

If he were alive, I would have been the first to egg him on to defend Marawi.

When he passed away, I wrote in my website The Moro Review that the end of the Bangsa Moro Revolution had finally come. The so-called Marawi “Siege” has buried the Bangsa Moro revolution. The MNLF and MILF are nothing but bad jokes.

Any grain of respect I had for the Philippine media had totally vanished during the months-long Rape of Marawi.

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A ravaged City… Photo by Reuters

A UP Journalism student doing her thesis on the Marawi “Siege” interviewed me on my thoughts about it. (I use quotation marks because I am not sure who the media refers to as those doing the siege and those being besieged.)

Weeks after the personal interview, she emailed me additional questions. These are her emailed questions and my answers:

UP Journ Student: What are your thoughts on how media portrayed the events that transpired in Marawi? In your opinion, where do you think media lacked in covering these events? Why?

ME: The essence of journalism is VERIFICATION. On the very first day of the Crisis, the mass media interviewed the military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla and other military officers. They all said that there were no ISIS members in Mindanao or in the Philippines. AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año himself assured everyone that Marawi was “under control” and that the Maute group numbered around 50 only. (Note: The CNN link –http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/05/24/marawi-crisis-timeline.html – has been updated and the quote from Gen. Año was deleted. Why?? See Changing Marawi Narratives for the quote.)

And just a few hours after the announcements of the generals, Duterte, who was in Russia, suddenly declared that ISIS was in the Philippines and he declared Martial Law all over Mindanao.

A responsible media would have grilled the generals who told all and sundry that there was no ISIS presence in the Philippines. Did the President know better than the generals? And later, when then Cong. Harry Roque was interviewed on TV, he said that just an hour or so before Duterte’s declaration, he was with all the military and intelligence advisers of Duterte and they all said that there was no ISIS in the Philippines and that everything was under control. Roque was also in Russia as part of Duterte’s entourage.

Accdg. to Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, the Elements of Journalism, among others, are:

Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.

Its first loyalty is to citizens.

Its essence is a discipline of verification.

Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.

It must serve as an independent monitor of power.

It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.

It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.

Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.

Re: Marawi coverage, all these elements of Journalism were/are missing. Although, I am not sure about the last one.

I saw an interview of George Cariño. He was interviewed on his experience in covering Marawi. He even cried. He said something which intrigued me. He said that they were not allowed to use some words or phrases in their coverage. What was that? Self-censorship? Is that related to last element above?

If what happened to Marawi were to happen in a Christian-populated city? Would the Philippine media do the same thing as they did in Marawi?

UP Journ Student: How does the news coverage of the Marawi siege affect the public’s perception on it? What do you think are the other issues that will be affected because of the media’s news coverage of the Marawi conflict? What do you think are the factors that affect the packaging of news?

ME: The public’s – esp. The Christian majority’s – knowledge of Marawi came / comes from the media. Their perception of the Rape of Marawi was seen through the spectacles of media. The narratives the public got were all crafted by the government and disseminated through the media.

FRAMING is one BIG factor that affects the packaging of news.

The framing is terribly skewed in favor of the government’s narrative.

CONTEXTUALIZING. The context is terribly WRONG. From the media’s narrative, the context is as follows:

Marawi and the residents of Marawi are just like any Filipino, with the same shared history. All of a sudden, a group who represents a foreign-based jihadist terrorist group called ISIS, appeared and took hostage a whole city. The residents fled, Duterte declared Martial Law and massive military forces came in to the rescue, like the cavalry of the old US of A. And the people of Marawi applauded and were/are ever thankful for the Philippine government and soldiers. (This is so nauseating to most Mranaos…)

The public does not know the REAL CONTEXT. Marawi and Mranaos are not of the ordinary Filipino variety. The Mranaos are part of the Bangsa Moro who have been fighting the Philippine Republic since 1970 – for 48 years!!! And they fought the Americans for more than 20 years and the Spaniards for 350 years.

Given a choice between the Philippine government and a Muslim group, the average Moro would choose the Muslim group.

The reason for the Jabidah Massacre in 1968 was that the young Moros recruited by the Philippine military refused to go to Sabah to fight their fellow Muslims. They chose to side with their fellow Muslims than with the Philippine government.

The Moros are not Filipinos, in many sense of the term.

And what is the CONTEXT of ISIS? And the Caliphate?(Note: All of a sudden, a group of Al-Qaeda supporters proclaimed themselves to be a worldwide Caliphate in 2014 and called itself, the Islamic State or ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah. The Caliphate is the government of the whole Muslim World or Ummah. The last Caliph was Abdulmecid II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who was deposed by Kemal Attaturk in 1924. )

ISIS means Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It doesn’t include Mindanao or Marawi. If it does, it would be ISMIS!!!

ISIS, esp. during the time of the Rape of Marawi, was being bombed out in Iraq and Syria. They couldn’t possibly have any care about Marawi, thousands of miles away. The Mranaos are not even Arabs.

And what is the Caliphate? There has been a Caliphate (Khilafa) movement in the Islamic world since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and with it, the last Caliph.

But not just any idiot can claim to be a Caliph, like not any idiot can claim to be the Pope or the King/Queen of the British Commonwealth (formerly, British Empire).

The Hashemite Kings of Jordan and Morocco would be the first in line to be the new Caliph, not idiots put up by the US CIA. And not any idiot can be declared an Emir or Prince of a province of the Caliphate. (Hapilon of Abu Sayyaf was supposed to be the Emir of Philippines or Southeast Asia, accdg. to the government. Hahahahahaha!!!!!!)

Several years ago, American and European intelligence agencies started rumors about Muslims wanting to establish the Caliphate. But they were demonizing the Caliphate.

I thought then that the Westerners must be soooo dumb. Didn’t they know anything about the Caliphate (khilafa) movement, which has been around since 1918 or thereabouts? Little did I know that they were laying the predicate for ISIS.

EQUALIZING. The Media equalizes the strength of 50 or so Maute supporters, mostly kids, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines – with heavy weaponry, dozens of tanks, armored vehicles, airplane bombers and thousands of troops plus drones from the Americans.

SANITIZING. There were many reports of civilian deaths, but none were focused on by the media. And there was MASSIVE LOOTING but hardly any reports by the media.

UP Journ Student: In your opinion, what issues do you think the media should prioritize and should cover more during their coverage? Why?

ME: HUMAN RIGHTS is a foremost issue.

Right now, there should be focus on REPARATIONS — the Mranaos should be paid for the damage brought to their homes and properties.

MILITARIZATION – It looks like the government is intent on building more military camps in Marawi and thus become an Occupying power.

LAND GRABBING. The government seems intent on stealing Moro lands, again.

The Americans, and later, the Philippine government, delcared ALL MORO LANDS as PUBLIC DOMAIN. And since titling of Lands is not customary among Mranaos, most lands in Lanao are not titled. The government wants to steal them all over again.

And what is the QUID PRO QUO with the MILF and MNLF? The fact that MILF and MNLF supported the government means that they already made a deal with them. Why is the MEDIA mum on that? Whatever the deal is with both groups must have a great impact on the whole country.

UP Journ Student: What should be the media’s role in the conflict? What are the ways the media can do to live up to its role?

ME: The Philippine Media personnel, esp. the journalists, should adhere to the Elements of Journalism as espoused by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. (see ther first answer)

Later, I emailed her one more point. I wrote:
“When ISIS hq abroad claimed that the lone gunman in the Resorts World casino shooting was their member, the media ignored the claim.

Yet the same media immediately believed the president when he declared that ISIS was in Marawi with no evidence and contrary to the assertions of AFP generals who, just a few hours earlier than Duterte’s allegation, assured the public on national media that there were no ISIS in the Philippines.

Double standard???!!!

————– end of Question and Answers —————–

I would like to add more points.

In Marawi, a report that about 50 supporters – untrained civilians, mostly kids – of the Maute family, allegedly linked to ISIS, were roaming around Marawi City, was enough for the President to order the immediate evacuation of Marawi City and to declare Martial Law all over Mindanao and then to bring the might of the Armed Forces of the Philippines plus American drones and advisers to bomb the Islamic City of Marawi (or parts thereof) to kingdom come!

During the Cory Aquino administration, a group of highly-trained military troops headed by Col. Honasan, took over the Ayala Avenue area of Makati. The Cory Aquino government did not declare Martial Law or mercilessly bombed the highly urbanized Makati business district.

MARTIAL LAW DECLARATION

The Philippine Constitution states: “In case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he may, for a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law.”

In May last year, when Martial Law was declared, there was NEITHER INVASION NOR REBELLION in Mindanao. According to military officers — the AFP Chief of Staff no less and the AFP spokesman — there were only about 50 MAUTE clan members in Marawi and NO ISIS presence in Marawi, Mindanao or the Philippines.

Only idiots and morons and occupying powers (who think Moros are their enemies and need to be subjected to their powers) can justify the declaration of Martial Law in the whole of Mindanao!

The fact that Congress and the Supreme Court believe that there should be Martial Law in Mindanao (forever, if needed) only means that the Christian majority are playing along with the government. While there is Martial Law officially all over Mindanao, everything is business-as-usual in Christian-dominated provinces. Martial Law is just in full effect in Muslim-dominated provinces, esp. Lanao del Sur, incl. Marawi City.

MARAWI EVACUATION DUE TO EXPECTED BOMBING

The primary cause for the evacuation of Marawi was not the people’s fear of the Maute clan. Most Mranao families are well-armed. They are not afraid of just one armed family or clan. But they are afraid of being bombed by government forces.

Just a few months previous to the Rape of Marawi, the government bombed Butig, the stronghold of the Mautes. The residents of Marawi were afraid of government bombs, not Maute guns. In fact, about a few hours before the declaration of Martial Law, one Mranao woman was interviewed via phone by Karen Davila. The woman pleaded to the military, through the news program, not to bomb Marawi. She said that they did not want to suffer the same fate as the people of Butig.

And what forced the residents to flee was the declaration of Martial Law. With Martial Law, the local elected officials would be powerless. The military would reign supreme. And the Mranaos, like most Moros, do not love the Philippine military.

And if a Marawi resident was still not convinced to evacuate, the order by the Office of the Governor/Vice Governor to leave made the reluctant Marawi resident no choice.

The Marawi evacuation was the most important ingredient in the Rape of Marawi. The bombing of Marawi would not cause a lot of deaths. There would be no genocide to complain of. Apparently, the world could not care less about destruction of buildings, houses and mosques and roads and bridges. The massive looting by the soldiers and the unnecessary killings of some civilians on the side could easily be overlooked by the world’s media, who would focus on the government’s meta-narrative.

BANGSA MORO REVOLUTION – the NEXT PHASE

Prof. Cesar Adib Majul, the “mentor” to the Bangsa Moro revolution, wrote that there were six (6) stages or phases of the Moro Wars — the wars between the Moros and the Spanish conquistadors. If that were so, then the 7the stage of the Moro Wars was the one fought against the Americans. And the 8th stage was the MNLF/MILF wars against the Republic of the Philippines that began around 1969 / 1970.

The Rape of Marawi has finally wrote FINIS to the 8th phase of the Moro Wars. Practically all its leaders are gone. Dean C. Adib Majul, the mentor; Sultan Rashid Lucman, the Father of the revolution; Ustadz Hashem Salamat, the Spirit of the revolution; and Prof. Abbas, the Brain of the revolution are all dead. The OIC-recognized Head of the revolution, Nur Misuari is politically dead, even if he is being resuscitated by Mr. Duterte.

The above-mentioned leaders were modern leaders, educated and were inspired by the orthodox, classical and peace-loving Islamic ideology. The next set of leaders might come from extreme and radical forms of Islamic ideology, something like the Taliban or Wahhabi or Al-Qaeda variety. That would be very bad for the whole Philippines.

America is back in Mindanao – right smack in the middle of a war against a Mranao family, the Mautes and the full force of the Philippine Armed forces. Ostensibly, the Americans are providing intelligence and surveillance planes.

Today, July 4, 2017, we should reflect back on July 4, 1946 when America gave Moroland — the Pat a Pangampong ko Ranao, the Sultanate of Maguidanao, the Rajahnate of Buayan and the Sultanate of Sulu — to the Indios-Filipinos in a newly created Republic of the Philippines.

As a consequence of that action, England immediately proclaimed Sabah, which was a territory of the Sulu Sultanate, into a Crown Colony and later gave Sabah to Malaya which became Malaysia.

England gave back Hong Kong to China in 1997 after 150 years of possession and Portugal gave back Macau to China in 1999 after around 450 years occupancy. America can still give back Moroland to its real owners — the Bangsa Moro. America can still undo what it had done on July 4, 1946 – only some 71 years ago…

In 2002, one hundred years after the official end of the Filipino-American war and the beginning of the Moro-American war, I wrote an editorial in my online journal, The Moro Review. In 2008, at the height of the MOA-AD brouhaha – when a great majority of the Indios clamored for the scrapping of the MOA-AD – there were accusations that the American government was pressuring the Philippine government to sign the agreement.

Now, in 2015, history seems to be repeating itself. In lieu of the the MOA-AD, the Noynoy Aquino government forged a new agreement with the MILF. While almost the same as the MOA-AD, the newly-elected Aquino was seemingly able to convince the majority of the Indio-Filipinos to support the new agreement. But the Filipinos were just biding their time and when the opportune time came (the Mamasapano incident), there was a hue and cry against the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which resulted from the framework agreement between the MILF and the Aquino government.

And since it is July 4, I thought the 2002 editorial of the The Moro Review would be appropriate for re-posting. It is quite obvious that the great majority of the Indio-Filipinos would not want to give an inch to Moro aspirations of greater freedom and autonomy.

The Filipinos who are in uproar against the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) are claiming that the US has a hand in the negotiations. They are claiming that the US pressured the Philippine government to sign the MOA. What nonsense!

These people base their argument on the letter sent by the MILF to Pres. George Bush in 2003 asking the US to mediate for peace. What in the world is wrong with that? The Philippine government continually asks the US to help them in their fight against the Moros and the Communists. And the US obliges them all the time. It is but natural for the MILF to ask the US to help in the peace process instead of the war process.

I believe my brother had a hand in the MILF letter to President Bush. I knew of the letter even back then. And I thought it was a very reasonable request.

MORO REVIEW

From 2002 – 2005, I ran an online journal — The Moro Review. In light of what is now happening, perhaps it would be in order to look at the Moro Review’s May 2002 issue’s Editorial:

It has been 69 years since the United States of America gave the Moro nations — its people and territory — to the Indios to create a new nation-state called The Republic of the Philippines. (Aguinaldo’s Republic did not include the participation of the Moros and was not recognized by any country while the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic was recognized only by Japan.) America had no basis to do so. The Moros were never conquered by the Indios. Perhaps America can rectify its wrongful deed. England gave back Hong Kong to China after a century and a half of colonization while Portugal gave Macao back to China after ruling it for around 400 years. America can give back to the Moros the freedoms and territories they had lost (including Sabah) when America gave the Moro nations and Moroland to the Indios and their newly minted nation-state.

Perhaps the only time there can be peace in the Philippines is when the Moros and the Indios can live their lives in peace and freedom — separately.

July 4, 2002

Editorial

One Hundred Years Ago

Some one hundred years ago, the Americans, under the delusion of ‘Manifest Destiny’, betrayed the trust of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and other Filipino revolutionary leaders and conquered the Philippine Islands thus ending the very brief experience of Filipinos with republicanism.

Some one hundred years ago, the Americans, upon the prodding of Manila-based Europeans, decided to extend their imperialistic adventures to MOROLAND –Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan but not to Sabah. Although part of the Sultanate of Sulu, Sabah was untouched by the Americans because the British were there.

One hundred years ago, on July 4, 1902, US President Theodore Roosevelt declared the Philippine-American War as officially over.

Yet it was exactly one hundred years ago when the Moro-American war began. The first fight between the Americans and the Moros occurred in the Sultanate of Bayang in the land of the Mranaos. The intermittent but bloody fight that pitted the Krag versus the Kris lasted for some 30 years until the time when the Moros were co-opted into joining the Commonwealth in 1935 and the Republic in 1946.

One hundred years ago, America was an emerging power. The Moros, on the other hand, were still enjoying their freedom and independence from any colonial power. Both had just given the Spanish authorities their walking papers. The Americans gave the Spaniards a mock battle and the Treaty of Paris while the Moros enjoyed routing the Spaniards cloistered in their fortresses scattered all over Moroland.

During the American Occupation, all Moro nations — the Tausug, the Maguindanaons, the Buayanens, the Mranaos — expressed their desire for independence from American and/or separation from the Filipino administration.

However, the Indios, who started calling themselves Filipinos, led by Quezon and Osmena convinced a handful of Moro leaders to support Philippine (including Moroland) independence. They also campaigned vigorously in Manila and in Washington not to separate Mindanao from the Philippines. They argued that the Moros were not “civilized” enough to form their own government.

With their European background, the new Filipinos portrayed themselves as the inheritors of Western civilization, unlike the Moro “savages” who were described in images befitting the Westerners’ “Other”.

Various US investigative Commissions (like the Wood-Forbes Commission) favored separation of Mindanao and Sulu from the rest of the Philippines. The Bacon Bill of 1926 demanded such separation. US President Hoover vetoed the Philippine Independence Act of 1931 because of Moro protests.

But the Filipino leaders merely doubled / tripled their efforts. Regular missions to the US were sent to convince American leadership about the folly of trusting the Moros. The Filipinos only had to remind the Americans of the deaths and destruction the Moros had done to American army personnel in Mindanao and the report of US officials that “a good Moro is a dead Moro.”

The eloquence, charm and strong personalities of Quezon, Osmena, Roxas and their colleagues were all put to good use. No Moro leader went to the US to counter Filipino charges. And so the Tydings- McDuffie Law was passed in 1936 promising independence to the Philippine Islands, including Mindanao and Sulu.

In 1946, the US handed over the Moro nations to the Indios-Filipinos and formed a new nation-state to be called the Republic of the Philippines.

But the Moros, defending themselves from genocide, rose again in the early 1970s. The Moro fight has been officially recognized by the Organization of Islamic Conference with the MNLF having an observer status.

The various international agreements (Tripoli, Jakarta) signed by the Philippine government and the MNLF were honored more in the breach than in implementation.

In sum, from the 15th century, the Moros were masters of their destinies while the Indios were a subjugated people under the Spanish. It was only in the 20th century when the Moros finally accepted foreign (American) domination in exchange for the right to practice their religion and way of life. Later, they were co-opted by the Indios into a new nation called the “Filipino” nation and a new state called Philippine Republic. Some thirty years after their experiment with being Filipinos, the Moros rose again and asserted a new ethnic identity — the Moro nation (Bangsa Moro) . But the Moros were no match for Marcos’s diplomatic and political genius.

With the new century / millennium starting with an American War Against Terrorism, which many Muslims the world over see as the War against Islam, the prospect of a renewed Moro War is quite bright. (The lapsus linguae of US President Bush when he declared a “Crusade” against his enemies did not escape the Muslims’ attention).

Once again, the Indios-Filipinos have called on “Mother America” to help them fight the Moro “savages” now called “terrorists.

One hundred years ago, America unilaterally abrogated the Bates Treaty with the Sultanate of Sulu and illegally annexed the whole of Moroland. In 1946, America, without any basis, handed the Moro nations to the Indios-Filipinos.

Today, America is here again, upon the call of the Indios-Filipinos to fight the “terrorists” — the new adjective for Moros.

But we call on America not to be blinded again by the sweet words and promises of the Indios — like a new military base. We call on America to not to add another injustice to the Moro people. We call on America to right the wrong it had done to the Moro people. Our fathers and forefathers had asked America for protection against the Indios-Filipinos. Instead, America fed them to the lions, as it were.

In 1910, in a conference with US Secretary of War Jacob Dickinson, Datu Mandi said, ” As I look around, I see more Moros than Filipinos. That is why it’s called the Moro Province. If the American government does not want the Moro Province anymore, it should give it back to us. It is a Moro Province, it belongs to us.

Another Moro leader, Hadji Nuno said, “The Secretary of War must look the matter in the face. We have a different race, a different religion… If we should be given over to the Filipinos, how much more would they treat us badly, when they treated even the Spanish badly? The Spanish were their own mothers and their own fathers for generations.”

Today, as we look around the former Moro Province, we see there are now more Indios. That is why they want to limit ARMM to just a few provinces. Have they treated the Moros badly? They only killed and tortured tens of thousands of Moros during the Marcos regime, waged an all-out war against MILF during Estrada’s presidency and now have called on the US Marines for help. This is not to mention the marginalization and extreme poverty of the Moro people.

We ask America to uphold the right of the Moro people to freedom and to self- determination. Like our forefathers, we would rather be free under American neocolonial rule rather than marginalized under Indio-Filipino rule. Ever since World War II, the Moros, unlike the Indios, never killed any Amercian, especially American soldiers. Unlike the Indios, there are no illegal Moros in the US. There are no Moro communists. The Moros have not done any harm to the U.S.

The Americans have no reason to fight the Moros. But it has the moral obligation to undo what it did before. The US gave the Moros and Moroland to the Indios-Filipinos. Perhaps it is about time to give the Moros back their freedom. It is never too late to undo a harm done — even if it is one hundred years late.

In 2002, one hundred years after the official end of the Filipino-American war and the beginning of the Moro-American war, I wrote an editorial in my online journal, The Moro Review. In 2008, at the height of the MOA-AD brouhaha – when a great majority of the Indios clamored for the scrapping of the MOA-AD – there were accusations that the American government was pressuring the Philippine government to sign the agreement.

Now, in 2015, history seems to be repeating itself. In lieu of the the MOA-AD, the Noynoy Aquino government forged a new agreement with the MILF. While almost the same as the MOA-AD, the newly-elected Aquino was seemingly able to convince the majority of the Indio-Filipinos to support the new agreement. But the Filipinos were just biding their time and when the opportune time came (the Mamasapano incident), there was a hue and cry against the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which resulted from the framework agreement between the MILF and the Aquino government.

And since it is July 4, I thought the 2002 editorial of the The Moro Review would be appropriate for re-posting. It is quite obvious that the great majority of the Indio-Filipinos would not want to give an inch to Moro aspirations of greater freedom and autonomy.

It has been 69 years since the United States of America gave the Moro nations — its people and territory — to the Indios to create a new nation-state called The Republic of the Philippines. (Aguinaldo’s Republic did not include the participation of the Moros and was not recognized by any country while the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic was recognized only by Japan.) America had no basis to do so. The Moros were never conquered by the Indios. Perhaps America can rectify its wrongful deed. England gave back Hong to China after a century and a half of colonization while Portugal gave Macao back to China after ruling it for around 400 years. America can give back to the Moros the freedoms and territories they had lost (including Sabah) when America gave the Moro nations and Moroland to the Indios and their newly minted nation-state.

Perhaps the only time there can be peace in the Philippines is when the Moros and the Indios can live their lives in peace and freedom — separately.

Editorial

One Hundred Years Ago

Some one hundred years ago, the Americans, under the delusion of ‘Manifest Destiny’, betrayed the trust of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and other Filipino revolutionary leaders and conquered the Philippine Islands thus ending the very brief experience of Filipinos with republicanism.

Some one hundred years ago, the Americans, upon the prodding of Manila-based Europeans, decided to extend their imperialistic adventures to MOROLAND –Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan but not to Sabah. Although part of the Sultanate of Sulu, Sabah was untouched by the Americans because the British were there.

One hundred years ago, on July 4, 1902, US President Theodore Roosevelt declared the Philippine-American War as officially over.

Yet it was exactly one hundred years ago when the Moro-American war began. The first fight between the Americans and the Moros occurred in the Sultanate of Bayang in the land of the Mranaos. The intermittent but bloody fight that pitted the Krag versus the Kris lasted for some 30 years until the time when the Moros were co-opted into joining the Commonwealth in 1935 and the Republic in 1946.

One hundred years ago, America was an emerging power. The Moros, on the other hand, were still enjoying their freedom and independence from any colonial power. Both had just given the Spanish authorities their walking papers. The Americans gave the Spaniards a mock battle and the Treaty of Paris while the Moros enjoyed routing the Spaniards cloistered in their fortresses scattered all over Moroland.

During the American Occupation, all Moro nations — the Tausug, the Maguindanaons, the Buayanens, the Mranaos — expressed their desire for independence from American and/or separation from the Filipino administration.

However, the Indios, who started calling themselves Filipinos, led by Quezon and Osmena convinced a handful of Moro leaders to support Philippine (including Moroland) independence. They also campaigned vigorously in Manila and in Washington not to separate Mindanao from the Philippines. They argued that the Moros were not “civilized” enough to form their own government.

With their European background, the new Filipinos portrayed themselves as the inheritors of Western civilization, unlike the Moro “savages” who were described in images befitting the Westerners’ “Other”.

Various US investigative Commissions (like the Wood-Forbes Commission) favored separation of Mindanao and Sulu from the rest of the Philippines. The Bacon Bill of 1926 demanded such separation. US President Hoover vetoed the Philippine Independence Act of 1931 because of Moro protests.

But the Filipino leaders merely doubled / tripled their efforts. Regular missions to the US were sent to convince American leadership about the folly of trusting the Moros. The Filipinos only had to remind the Americans of the deaths and destruction the Moros had done to American army personnel in Mindanao and the report of US officials that “a good Moro is a dead Moro.”

The eloquence, charm and strong personalities of Quezon, Osmena, Roxas and their colleagues were all put to good use. No Moro leader went to the US to counter Filipino charges. And so the Tydings- McDuffie Law was passed in 1936 promising independence to the Philippine Islands, including Mindanao and Sulu.

In 1946, the US handed over the Moro nations to the Indios-Filipinos and formed a new nation-state to be called the Republic of the Philippines.

But the Moros, defending themselves from genocide, rose again in the early 1970s. The Moro fight has been officially recognized by the Organization of Islamic Conference with the MNLF having an observer status.

The various international agreements (Tripoli, Jakarta) signed by the Philippine government and the MNLF were honored more in the breach than in implementation.

In sum, from the 15th century, the Moros were masters of their destinies while the Indios were a subjugated people under the Spanish. It was only in the 20th century when the Moros finally accepted foreign (American) domination in exchange for the right to practice their religion and way of life. Later, they were co-opted by the Indios into a new nation called the “Filipino” nation and a new state called Philippine Republic. Some thirty years after their experiment with being Filipinos, the Moros rose again and asserted a new ethnic identity — the Moro nation (Bangsa Moro) . But the Moros were no match for Marcos’s diplomatic and political genius.

With the new century / millennium starting with an American War Against Terrorism, which many Muslims the world over see as the War against Islam, the prospect of a renewed Moro War is quite bright. (The lapsus linguaeof US President Bush when he declared a “Crusade” against his enemies did not escape the Muslims’ attention).

Once again, the Indios-Filipinos have called on “Mother America” to help them fight the Moro “savages” now called “terrorists.

One hundred years ago, America unilaterally abrogated the Bates Treaty with the Sultanate of Sulu and illegally annexed the whole of Moroland. In 1946, America, without any basis, handed the Moro nations to the Indios-Filipinos.

Today, America is here again, upon the call of the Indios-Filipinos to fight the “terrorists” — the new adjective for Moros.

We call on America not to be blinded again by the sweet words and promises of the Indios — like a new military base. We call on America to not to add another injustice to the Moro people. We call on America to right the wrong it had done to the Moro people. Our fathers and forefathers had asked America for protection against the Indios-Filipinos. Instead, America fed them to the lions, as it were.

In 1910, in a conference with US Secretary of War Jacob Dickinson, Datu Mandi said, ” As I look around, I see more Moros than Filipinos. That is why it’s called the Moro Province. If the American government does not want the Moro Province anymore, it should give it back to us. It is a Moro Province, it belongs to us.”

Another Moro leader, Hadji Nuno said, “The Secretary of War must look the matter in the face. We have a different race, a different religion… If we should be given over to the Filipinos, how much more would they treat us badly, when they treated even the Spanish badly? The Spanish were their own mothers and their own fathers for generations.”

Today, as we look around the former Moro Province, we see there are now more Indios. That is why they want to limit ARMM to just a few provinces. Have they treated the Moros badly? They only killed and tortured tens of thousands of Moros during the Marcos regime, waged an all-out war against MILF during Estrada’s presidency and now have called on the US Marines for help. This is not to mention the marginalization and extreme poverty of the Moro people.

We ask America to uphold the right of the Moro people to freedom and to self- determination. Like our forefathers, we would rather be free under American neocolonial rule rather than marginalized under Indio-Filipino rule. Ever since World War II, the Moros, unlike the Indios, never killed any Amercian, especially American soldiers. Unlike the Indios, there are no illegal Moros in the US. There are no Moro communists. The Moros have not done any harm to the U.S.

The Americans have no reason to fight the Moros. But it has the moral obligation to undo what it did before. The US gave the Moros and Moroland to the Indios-Filipinos. Perhaps it is about time to give the Moros back their freedom. It is never too late to undo a harm done — even if it is one hundred years late.

The Zamboanga zarzuela or moro-moro (Philippine traditional stage plays) finally ends its 10-day run in Philippine media. Well, it’s not yet really finished, but what is left is just the epilogue.

On Sept. 9, 2013, the media reported that some 200 or 300 MNLF men loyal to Misuari attacked some villages in Zamboanga city and were holding hostage the residents there.

Really, why in the world would 200 or 300 MNLF rebels attack Muslim villages? With 200 or 300 men, they could easily attack the City Hall or the police or even the military garrisons. Only the ignorant and the gullible would believe such a scenario. As the MNLF spokesman said, “If we attack a village, we pulverize them.”

Although the alleged MNLF rebels were supposedly holed up only in 3 villages, Zamboanga City was in stand still. All flights were cancelled, schools and offices were suspended, and a curfew was installed. For what?

UPDATE: I made a few calls to inquire what is going on in Zamboanga City. The MNLF has to implement an effective civil defense plan to secure their lives and secure a high-level MNLF leader.

CAUSE: People sighted a GPH Police/Military large troop movement (LTM) that is tactical in nature (full battle gear). We have no information on why the GPH Police/Military launched a tactical LTM. I think the military should explain. If the GPH movement was a non-tactical movement, the 1995 MNLF-GPH Ceasefire Ground Rules Section 4 (on Movements) says “Non-tactical movements of GRP and MNLF forces outside their identified places shall be coordinated by concerned/affected GRP and MNLF commander(s).”

EFFECT: The military movement caused the MNLF to organize into an armed defensive formation (ADF) into a strategic convergence zone. During ADF, the public would see MNLF (from all point of origin) in groups of a squad or a platoon to move towards the direction of the ADF convergence zone.

NOTES: Media published it as an “ATTACK”. The truth is, there was no “ATTACK” because there are no shootings yet. The media should be careful next time, they could have just said that “there are sightings of large troops movement”.

HOSTAGES: If you mean like a hold-up hostage situation that you see in movies, there is none. Everyone in Zamboanga City now is a hostage inside their houses or cars as a result of their own fear, especially those inside the convergence zone.OTHER GROUPS: Normally, when there is a “SCARE” as a result of irresponsible media, the people (MNLF, MILF, Fake MNLF, Fake MILF, Political Private Armies, Individual Gun Owners, etc etc) will naturally arm themselves in full battle gear. This is what you will see in Zamboanga now.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Zamboanga is in an armed-conflict vulnerable status right now.

PROPOSED SOLUTION: To defuse the tension, make the GPH Police/Military explain the LTM they initiated and publish it on the news. Then allow sufficient TIME for the people to overcome their fears and they will gradually go back to their homes.

All throughout the so-called standoff and up to now, Misuari and his MNLF maintain that they have nothing to do with the Zamboanga affair. And they insist on impartial investigation by international parties.

A few days later, MNLF Commander Jabir (Habier) Malik was said to be the leader of the MNLF rebels holed out in the villages. And the next day, he was reported to have been killed. A day later, he was interviewed via phone patch by an online news group.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, Rappler.com reported that 80 MNLF rebels, with 35 hostages, surrendered to the police in Barangay Sta. Barbara. But Mar Roxas, the Secretary of the Dept. of Interior and Local Governments, and head of the government task force in Zamboanga handling the alleged MNLF attack, denied that there any surrender. Rappler, however, stood by its story.

Around the 5th or 6th day of the Zamboanga play, President B.S. Aquino arrived in Zamboanga, declaring that “MNLF’s happy days are over.”

But the play dragged on. Thousands of troops were sent to Zamboanga. More tanks and ammunition arrived for the soldiers. Media hype continued.

But the biggest attraction in the land still remained the PDAF or Pork Barrel scam. The people’s attention refused to let go the pork barrel scam which involved senators, congressmen and government officials.

And then we saw this on TV:

Looks like the game was up! From the TV news clip, it was very clear that it was all staged. There were no MNLF men in the area.

GENERAL ORDER FOR THE MNLF: Stay at home or somewhere safe, maintain a low profile, and avoid any trouble. But be ready to protect your life and your family if your household is harassed. The genuine MNLF is not involved in that chaos in Zamboanga and nearby towns. Don’t get swayed by the bandwagon of media. If your senior officers in the unit would ask you to prepare for a combat mission, please report the name to me 0921-7172040 so I can warn you if that person is in the list of the over 200 Fake MNLFs that we intercepted. Allahuakbar!…The following are the major Counterfeit MNLF operators in Zamboanga and Basilan area. Please do not obey any kind of instructions (especially combat recruitment instructions) from these persons.George Sampang Abdulsalim Laki Wahi Bulleng Montong Kiram Abdullah Ocacc Mohammad Hj. Sahipa Walsa
Manalbang Tahil Tuan Samili Usman Powa Degte Ibrahim Akramin Menembanl Nurmina Mahamud
Afdar Salik Hj. Abbas Tangkian Min Alam Hb. Andang Hashim Lacson Sawadjaan Abdullajid HB. Hussein
Hj. Abdua Jakaria Hatimil Hassan Jan Jakilan Mitsuara Hassan Ustadz Abdulmuhmin Mujamid Likhab Salahuddin
Aramel Amirin Datu Bungsu Mursalun Ustadz Hassan Jaiiani

According to the Media, military intelligence report has it that Misuari is ill. Maybe because of his illness, the military and government took advantage and created this hullabaloo.Perhaps the producers/directors of the play sensed that it was time to wrap up, the military let loose its ammunition and bombed the villages, including the one where Dr. Marietta Galvez said in the video that there were no MNLF men there.After bombing the place, all Muslim residents there were tagged as MNLF, which was exactly what the MNLF was saying all along,

To add another twist to the moro-moro, on Sept 17, it was announced that the Zamboanga Police chief was kidnapped by the MNLF rebels. A day later, the police chief surfaced with 23 alleged MNLF rebels in tow. He said he and three of his men pursued a lead on a reported group of rebels. They then bumped into these 23 rebels. And lo and behold, he persuaded them to surrender because these alleged rebels needed the police’s help to go back to their hometown, neighboring island of Basilan.

Hmmm. Looks like the scriptwriters were running out of credible scenarios. Here’s a link to the video of the interview with the Police Chief:

And so what does this all mean? For one thing, it means that the Philippine government is not sincere in the Peace Talks. For another, it means the government is now ready to treat Misuari as insignificant and throw away the government’s “Final Peace Agreement” with the MNLF.

But most importantly, this means that the Bangsa Moro people are left with NO PROTECTORS. The MILF apparently doesn’t care what happens to the Moros as long as the group gets its Bangsamoro substate. The MNLF, on the other hand, is divided into the Misuari faction, which is now shown to be impotent and others which are either in cahoots with the government or are afraid of the government.

I guess it’s about time for a new Bangsa Moro revolutionary movement.

==============

A look at the happy faces of the actors after curtain call:

TV CHAR GEN: 15 MNLF MEMBERS FROM BASILAN SURRENDER TO THE AUTHORITIES

When Filipinos commit murder in foreign countries, the Philippine government go on bended knees asking foreign countries to spare the lives of these Filipinos.

When the Sultan’s relatives went to Sabah, which was the home of the Tausugs for centuries, they were immediately threatened and humiliated by the Philippine President. (The Sultan’s and Rajah Muda’s father lived for some time in Sabah)

PRESIDENT AQUINO’S ACTIONS

The sheer arrogance of the President, his utter disrespect to the Sulu royalty (and by extension to the Bangsa Moro people), his belittling of the Sabah claim and his humiliating subservience to the Malaysian Prime Minister are so mind-numbing.

I cannot understand how any self-respecting Moro could stomach the sheer arrogance of PeNoy and his people towards the Sultan, his people (and by extension the Bangsa Moro) and the claim to Sabah.

As to the government’s claim to Sabah, it is as clear as day that the President practically gave it up. First, he called it “a hopeless cause”. Second, he acknowledged Malaysia’s ownership of Sabah which is AGAINST THE PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION (ARTICLE I, NATIONAL TERRITORY: The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, AND ALL OTHER TERRITORIES OVER WHICH THE PHILIPPINE HAS SOVEREIGNTY OR JURISDICTION consisting ….); AGAINST PHILIPPINE LAWS like RA 5446 and AGAINST GOVT PROTOCOL (Memorandum Circular No. 162, s. 2008).

Why is this unheard of subservience to the Malaysians? Their part in the Framework Agreement is not enough justification. Is the Philippine government supposed to be ever grateful to the Malaysians because of their mediation in the Peace Talks between the Government and the MILF?

But why? People naturally infer that the Malaysians favor the MILF, their fellow Muslims. So the Lahad Datu crisis should have given the Philippine government the chance to exercise leverage over Malaysia and thus weaken the the ties between MILF and Malaysia.

MALAYSIAN ACTIONS

The even more arrogant actions and statements of the Malaysians, even when referring to the Philippine government is so mind-boggling as it has no precedence in the history of Malaysian-Philippine relations.

While I love Malaysia – the country and its people, I, like many right-thinking Filipinos, am shocked at the actions and statements of the Malaysian government. I believe they would not do that without the imprimatur of the Philippine government.

MAKES US WONDER

But the actions of the Philippine President now make many people wonder. Has the Philippine government agreed to drop the Sabah claim in exchange for a peace agreement with the MILF ?

But why would the Philippine government do that? A peace deal with the Moros is never to the interests of the government, at least to the minds of the Christian majority. Just remember the passionate hatred for the MOA-AD by the Filipino majority.

If a peace pact is important to the government, then we would have had a working peace agreement a long time ago. It looks like there is something else that the people do not know. Perhaps to sweeten the deal, Malaysia offered something else – like a few billion pesos in exchange for a peace deal AND the dropping of the claim?

The government’s announcement that the MILF has dropped the claim on Palawan becomes very telling. While the MILF agreed to limit the talks on the small ARMM, which excludes about half of the Moros in the Philippines, I don’t see anything on the Framework Agreement that says Palawan or any other parts of the Philippines shall never be able to join the ARMM. On the contrary, I think there is a proviso that allows for future entry of barangays, cities, municipalities or even provinces.

MILF’S ACTIONS

The MILF’s apparent anger over the Lahad Datu incident, their approval of the handling of the event by the PeNoy government, Eid Kabalu’s nomination for ARMM governor and his appointment as consultant to the Armed Forces of the Philippines make one doubtful of MILF.

The MILF’s arrogance in saying that the Moros should not do anything which would imperil the peace talks is sheer B.S. Are the peace talks only for the benefit of the MILF? Are all Moro concerns supposed to be put in the back burner until the Peace Talks are ended? When will that be? In 2016 when there will be another Philippine president?

So please tell us, what have the Philippine government and the MILF sold to the Malaysian government? The Bangsa Moro and the whole Filipino people deserve to know.

All these news on TV, newspapers and online about Sabah and the Sultanate of Sulu’s claim made me organize my thoughts on Sabah. The first time I heard about Sabah, I was about 8 or 9 years old. I have two sisters and one brother who were born in Jolo. The older sister was named Alnahar Mobina Fatima and her godmother was Dayang Dayang Putli (Princess) Tarhata Kiram, who at that time was the Pangyan (Sultana) of Sulu. My mother said that Princess Tarhata promised her that if they’d get back Sabah, she would give her goddaughter a big piece of it.

Not long after hearing this from my mother, the news on TV and the papers was all about Sabah and the young Moros who were massacred in Corregidor Island near Manila. The incident is now known as the Jabidah Massacre.

It was the first time that I saw my brothers, who were student/youth leaders, on TV denouncing the government. One time, my eldest brother, Macapanton, Jr. came to the house to be interviewed by a TV crew. (He was then staying at UP.) While he was being interviewed, the phone rang. There was something wrong with the phone such that when somebody called, it would ring but even if somebody answered it, it continued to ring. The maids covered the phone with pillows to muffle the sound. When we watched the newscast in the evening, we could hear the phone ringing.

From then on, I got used to seeing my brothers, especially the eldest, on TV or read about them in the papers. Because of his anti-government stance, Macapanton, Jr was ordered arrested when Marcos suspended the writ of habeas corpus and again when Marcos declared Martial Law.

During Martial Law, Marcos recognized Mahakutah Kiram as the Sultan of Sulu. I was aghast that a Philippine president got to “choose” the Sultan of Sulu. I asked my mother who was the rightful Sulu sultan. She said that she had just spoken to Dayang dayang Putli Tarhata who told her to tell Jun (my eldest brother), who was then the Moro head of the Presidential Task Force for the Reconstruction and Development of Mindanao, to tell the government that Jamalul was the rightful Sultan, not Mahakuta. I don’t remember if she was referring to Jamal ul Kiram III or Jamal ul Abidin although I think she was referring to Kiram not Abidin. (But, as a teenager, I remember being proud that I shared the same name (Jamal) as two contending Sultans of Sulu, although I found it strange that people called them Jamalul (one word) instead of Jamal ul-Kiram and Jamal ul- Abidin. At that time, the name Jamal was not common in the Philippines or in the US, unlike now where every other African-American is named Jamal.)

My sister Alnahar and her godmother Dayang dayang Putli Tarhata are long dead, but Sabah is still with Malaysia and the prospects of it going to the Kirams is slim.

GAME-CHANGER

While the Makaskie decision in 1939 clearly gives ownership of Sabah to the Kirams, the granting of Independence to the Philippines and to the Malay states and the formation of the Malaysian federation changed the rules of the game.

Before World War II, the Sultanate of Sulu was recognized by both the US and the UK. The Philippines was a mere territory of the US while North Borneo was a possession of the Sultanate leased to a British company.

I remember the stories my mother told us about Princess Tarhata. She said that when the young princess graduated from a US university, the American authorities gave a party in her honor in Malacanang. Tarhata delighted in telling my mother how the young military officers were trying to make a pass at her. She referred to the military officers as “guardia civil“.

After world war II, the world was turned upside down for the Sulu royals. The Philippines became a newly minted state with Sulu as a mere province. And North Borneo became a British colony and then became part of the newly minted state called Malaysia.

The non-autonomous Sulu sultanate became almost a non-entity and the Sulu royals became relics of a bygone age.

NEW NATION-STATES

After World War II, the Western colonizers decided to grant their colonies “independence” and simply rule them indirectly by controlling their economies. The Philippines got its independence in 1946. Unbeknownst to the Sulu royals, or to anyone other than the English diplomats, England declared North Borneo a colony. In his report to the Philippine Government, former Governor General Francis Burton Harrison (acting as Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs), recommended that the British action “should be promptly repudiated by the Government,” as the British government did it “unilaterally and without special notice to the Sultanate of Sulu nor consideration of their legal rights.”

Meanwhile the kingdoms in the Malay Peninsula got their independence in 1957 and formed the new state of Malaya. The Sulu royals promptly revoked the Lease Agreement of Sabah and demanded the return of Sabah.

In 1961, Datu/Sultan Ombra Amilbangsa, the husband of Pangyan Piandao, Sultana of Sulu, even filed a bill (House Bill No. 5682) in Congress (when he was a congressman) seeking the independence of Sulu. The Sama Datu realized the grim political reality Sulu was facing then.

In 1963, the British and peninsular Malaysians hastily formed Malaysia to be composed of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.

In the era of newly-minted nation-states, the non-autonomous Sultanate of Sulu has become obsolete. In desperation, the Sulu royals acknowledged its diminished status and asked the Philippine government to act in its behalf. They gave President Diosdado Macapagal a “special power of attorney”, as it were.

New York Times Oct 25 1964

Macapagal was a friend of the Moros, being a classmate and “barkada” of the first Moro lawyers Sinsuat, Alonto, Pendatun and Abbas.

Macapagal promptly announced the country’s objection to the creation of Malaysia and sent a delegation to London. Later, Macapagal met with President Sukarno of Indonesia, who also objected to the creation of the Malysian nation-state, and Tungku Abdul Rahman of Malaysia.

They called on the United Nations to help settle the issue. The UN created an investigation team that would determine the preferences of the natives of Sarawak and Sabah. And the UN Mission reported that the natives preferred to be with Malaysia. Later on, Indonesia and the Philippines refused to recognize the results of the UN Mission on Borneo.

When Malaysia was formed, it signaled the end of the Sulu sultanate’ hold on Sabah.

FATWA ON SABAH

According to my late brother Macapanton, Jr, the Grand Mufti of Al-Azhar University was asked to give a fatwa (religious “legal” opinion based on Islamic doctrines) on Sabah. The Grand Mufti’s fatwa states that Sabah, being a state with Muslim people, cannot be given to the Philippines, which is predominantly Christian.

Thus, the only way for Sabah to be regained by the Sultanate of Sulu would be for Sulu to be independent or part of an independent Moro state.

JABIDAH MASSACRE

President Ferdinand Marcos, unlike President Macapagal , believes in taking matters into his own hands. In 1967, Marcos hatched a plan to infiltrate Sabah with Army-trained Muslims from Sulu (including Tawi-Tawi and Basilan). It was called Operation Merdeka (Freedom). First part of the training was done in Simunul, Tawi-Tawi

For the second part of the training, the recruits were shipped off to Corregidor island, near Manila. When the young Moros learned what their mission was all about; i.e., to infiltrate Sabah and fight the Sabahans, they started having second thoughts about the mission.

Fighting their fellow Muslims did not seem to be palatable to the recruits. It seems like it came to a point where the leaders – Project Leader Manuel Syquio and Operations Officer Maj. Eduardo Abdul Latif Martelino were the ground leaders — decided that the case was hopeless. The young Moro recruits to the Jabidah Unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines were massacred. It has never been determined how many died. Estimates range from 28 to 200.

Jibin Arula survived the massacre by pretending to be dead. He was wounded in the knee. He swam in the sea and held on to a piece of driftwood until some fishermen saw him and brought him to a nearby province, Cavite.

Naturally, Arula’s story hogged the headlines. What came to be known as the Jabidah Massacre has crystallized in the minds of the Moros, both young and old, that they have to do something if they still want to survive as a nation distinct from the Christian majority.

The seed of the Bangsa Moro revolution has been unwittingly planted by Marcos with the Jabidah Massacre. And Sabah is part and parcel of that revolution because Sabah is the ultimate cause of the Jabidah Massacre and the Moros can take back Sabah if and only if there will be a Muslim Moro nation-state, in accordance with the fatwa and realpolitik.

BIRTH OF THE BANGSA MORO REVOLUTION

Perhaps because of the fiasco that was Jabidah, Marcos decided to take full control of Mindanao. For the 1969 elections, he talked with the Christian leaders in Mindanao. He told them to run for political office – mayor, governor, etc., thereby challenging the Moro datus. He secretly promised them the three Gs – guns, goons and gold. Up to that time, the Christian settlers were content to be political followers, not leaders.

Ironically, our family campaigned vigorously for Marcos and his team. My brother-in-law was a senatorial candidate. My mother went with Marcos’s mother all over the country to campaign. She brought Dona Josefa Marcos all over Mindanao, including Jolo, Sulu. At that time, Sulu was already considered a dangerous place. Even Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos did not campaign there. As a child, I joined my mother in her campaign sorties to Davao and Lanao.

And after the elections, all hell broke loose in Mindanao. The Christian political leaders won. Shortly thereafter, Christian vigilante groups, secretly aided by the military, started attacking Moro villages, killing scores of Moros including women and children. The llaga (Rats) movement was founded in Cotabato City by the newly elected Mayors Wenceslao de la Cerna of Alamada, Nicolas Dequina of Midsayap, Pacifico de la Cerna of Libungan, Bonifacio Tejada of Mlang, Conrado Lemana of Tulunan, Jose Escribano of Tacurong, Esteban Doruelo of Pigkawayan and PC Capt. Manuel Tronco of Upi. They called themselves the “Magnificent Seven.” Later, Lt. Col. Carlos B. Cajelo, also an Ilonggo, joined the group. He became Governor of Cotabato and later the Deputy Defense Minister for Civil Relations. He was believed to be the actual leader of the Ilagas. ILAGA is supposed to be an acronym for Ilonggo Land Grabbers Association.

The Ilagas went on a rampage in Mindanao, covertly supported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Moros had to defend themselves. Armed groups known as Black Shirts, Baracudas, etc erupted everywhere in Mindanao. The Maguindanaon political families formed the PUSA (Cat) to fight the ILAGAS (Rats).

In the 1971 elections, more Christians came into political power led by Col. Cajelo . Cajelo was a newcomer in Cotabato. He went up against a very popular governor (Datumanong) who was supported by a very powerful traditional politician (Pendatun). But Marcos made sure that Cajelo won. And the Moros realized that there were now more Christian Filipinos than Moros in Moroland.

While the fighting in Mindanao raged, my mother’s cousin Congressman Rashid Lucman of the older generation and my eldest brother Macapanton Abbas, Jr. of the younger generation laid down the foundation for letting the world know of what was happening in Mindanao.

Working hand in hand, Lucman and Abbas, Jr. created several militant organizations like the National Coordinating Council for Islamic Affairs (NACCIA) and the Union of Islamic Forces (UIFO). They formed the Bangsa Moro Liberation Front (BMLF) and arranged with Tun Mustapha of Sabah the training of Moro revolutionaries.

My brothers Firdausi and Macapanton, Jr. published and edited the Dawat-ul-Islam newsletter in Manila. It reported the massacres happening in Mindanao so people in Manila, especially people of foreign embassies, are made aware of them.

My brother Macapanton, Jr brought the Bangsa Moro issue to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) when he submitted to then OIC head Tungku Abdul Rahman reports of Philippine atrocities against the Bangsa Moro people. The OIC took cognizance of the Bangsa Moro issue and Libya promised funding.

The training of the Moro revolutionaries was done in Sabah. The first batch of 90 trainees included Nur Misuari, Hashem Salamat and Abul Khayr Alonto.

But the Moro revolution was sabotaged from the beginning. The 90 trainees in Sabah, through the instigation of the Libyan Foreign Minister, proclaimed themselves the leaders of the Bangsa Moro revolution, calling their group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)

Fighting continued to rage in Mindanao. Arms came in from abroad, but only to those willing to support the MNLF. While not all fighters were MNLF, the Philippine media labeled all Moro groups fighting as MNLF.

Marcos sued for peace. The Tripoli Agreement was signed but never truly implemented.

In 1977, Hashem Salamat and his clique wanted to form their own group and bolt out of the MNLF. Mohammad Natsir, former Prime Minister of Indonesia and Inamullah Khan of Pakistan tried to unite the Moro forces. A meeting was held in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Bangsa Moro Liberation Organization (BMLO) leaders Rashid Lucman, Salipada Pendatun and my brother Jun Abbas were there as well as Senator Domocao Alonto of the Ansar el Islam. And so were Hashem Salamat and his lieutenants. The women sector delegation was led by Gov. Tarhata Alonto-Lucman and my sister Hadja Potri Zorayda Abbas-Tamano, the wife of Senator Tamano. Some of Misuari’s colleagues attended the meeting.

Fortunately for me, the Unity Meeting happened during school break (‘Id al Adha vacation) so I was able to attend it. Unfortunately, nothing came of that Unity meeting. In fact, a few months afterwards, Hashem Salamat bolted out of MNLF and formed his own group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Our cousin Ustaz Jamil Yahya was one of the co-founders of MILF.

The rest, they say, is history.

END OF THE BANGSA MORO REVOLUTION

The end of the 20th-century Bangsa Moro revolution came with the death of the leaders. The father of the revolution, Rashid Lucman; the mentor of the revolution, C. Adib Majul; the spirit (spiritual head) of the revolution, Hashem Salamat and the brain of the revolution, Macapanton Abbas, Jr. are all dead. The internationally recognized “head” of the revolution, Nur Misuari is politically dead.

The Bangsa Moro revolution is over, for now. The Bangsa Moro territory has been reduced to a paltry size, with only 5 provinces, including one city – Marawi. The so called Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has been declared by the Supreme Court as non-autonomous. The Supreme Court stated: “Only administrative powers over local affairs are delegated to political subdivisions.” And ARMM is a mere political subdivision.

And so there is a need for Paradigm Change – from revolution to peace talks.

BACK TO THE SULU ROYALS

Since the revolution has failed, the prospect of getting Sabah has returned to the hands of the Sulu royals.

In 1989, Sultan Jamal ul Kiram III revoked the “Special Power of Attorney” the sultanate gave to the Philippine government. But he reiterated the Sultanate’s request to the Philippine government to bring up the Sabah issue to the United Nations and other international fora. My brother, Sultan Firdausi Abbas acted as the legal counsel for the Sulu Sultan.

But the response from the Malaysian and Philippine governments was lukewarm.

UNITED ROYALTY

Sultan Jamal ul Kiram II

Ever since the death of Sultan Jamal ul Kiram II in the 1930s the Sulu royalty has been disunited. Then, it was just divided between the so-called Maimbung and the Patikul factions. Some people call the Maimbung faction as House of Kiram and the Patikul faction as House of Shakirullah. But that is a misnomer. Dayang dayang Hadja Piandao of the Maimbung faction was the successor of Jamal-ul Kiram II but she was the daughter of Jamal ul Kiram’s brother Badr ud Din II while her rival Pangyan (Sultana) of the Patikul faction was Dayang Dayang Putli Tarhata who was the daughter of Ismail Kiram. Even the grandfather of Sultan Zein ul Abidin (aka Datu Tambuyong) of the Patikul faction was named Jamal ul Kiram. Sultan Jamal ul Kiram II died without issue, and therefore, technically speaking, there is no House of Kiram.

Today, there are at least a dozen pretenders to the throne, some of whom are fakes. Most of the contenders claim descent from Jamal ul Azam, who leased Sabah to Baron von Overbeck.

It is important to remember that in the Sulu sultanate’s history, succession was never a matter of son inheriting from father. The 11th Sultan, Salah ud Din was followed by his son Shahab ud Din, who was succeeded by Shahab ud Din’s brother Shafi ud Din, followed by another brother, Badr ud Din. Badr was succeeded by his nephew Nasr ud Din, son of Shahab. Nasr was succeeded by his cousin Azim ud Din I, son of Badr.

Azim ud Din I reigned in the 18th century. He is known in Philippine history as Alimuddin, the first Christian Sultan of Sulu, which is really an historical joke. Azim ud Din I reigned from 1735-1748. He went to Manila to ask support from the Spaniards against the Taosug datus. Instead, the Spaniards held him hostage for 14 years at Intramuros. It was only when the British invaded Manila that he was able to return to Sulu. His nephew abdicated in his favor. He ruled Sulu for 10 more years.

All the succeeding sultans were descendants of Azim ud Din I. Naturally, most of the pretenders to the Sultanate descended from him.

MAKASKIE DECISION

In 1939, the heirs of Jamal ul Kiram II asked the High Court of North Borneo who were the heirs of the Sulu Sultan Jamal ul Kiram II, who died without issue. They wanted to know who the owners of Sabah were. Was it Great Britain or the Sulu Sultan’s heirs. Chief Justice CFC Makaskie of the High Court of North Borneo ruled in favor of the petitioners led by the two celebrated Sulu princesses, Dayang dayang Hadja Piandao and Dayang Dayang Putli Tarhata.

The Makaskie Decision is also problematic because what the heirs were interested in was merely on the sharing of the annual rent. The reigning Sultan at that time, acknowledged by the American government, was Sultan Zein-ul Abidin II with his cousin ans sister-in-law Dayang Dayang Putli Tarhata as the Pangyan (Sultana). But he did not want to be bothered by the Makaskie Court case as he was not interested in the rental fee. Nor did his brother, Datu Buyungan, the Rajah Muda (Crown Prince) and husband of Princess Tarhata join the Makaskie case. Thus, the Shakirullah branch of the clan was not represented. The brothers were more interested in cementing their hold on the Sultanate against the Maimbung faction of Sultana Piandao.

But since in this day and age, the power of written “legal” documents is acknowledged by most of the world, the Makaskie decision is very important. The claim of the Sultanate must therefore rely heavily on this, plus the Taosug version of the Deed of 1878 or the lease of Sabah to Baron von Overbeck.

Philippines believe in the rule of Force. Marcos tried the Jabidah route. Then he tried an all-out war against the Moros. President Joseph Estrada tried an all-out war against the MILF. But Malaysia believes in the rule of law. It is much easier to negotiate with Malaysians.

UNITED ROYALS

It is imperative that the Sulu royals get their act together. They should have a united Ruma Bechara (Council of Elders). They don’t have to proclaim one Sultan. They can create a “Council of Rulers” or whatever. But it is important that they show a unified front to the Malaysians.

The Malaysians will never negotiate with just one person claiming to be Sultan. At the very least, they will negotiate with a group representing ALL the descendants of the heirs named in the so-called Makaskie decision of 1939.

And this is the most important part. They should list down their negotiating points. It is important that they think not only of themselves but also of future generations; and not only of their own progeny, but the future of all Taosugs, of all Bangsa Moro. For this reason, they need the advice of Moro intellectuals and experts on various fields.

They must set up ways to insure that the history of Sulu Sultanate will not be forgotten and the dignity of the Sulu royals will not be trampled upon. There must be investment schemes to insure the prosperity of the Sulu royals and the whole Bangsa Moro for today’s as well as for future generations.

They will have to give up their claim of sovereignty to the Malaysian government but they should get due compensation – not just for themselves but for the whole Bangsa Moro as well. This way, the Bangsa Moro people, including the armed groups would support them.

The royals can then lobby through the OIC and through friends in KL.

It is best to leave the Philippine government alone. This should be between the Moros and the Malaysians.

With Malaysia brimming with wealth, this is the right time to negotiate. But Sabah is not just an issue concerning the Sulu royals. It has been part of the Bangsa Moro revolution. The Malaysians are astute enough to realize that any meaningful resolution to the Sabah issue should include the support of the Bangsa Moro people as a whole.

POSTSCRIPT (March 8, 2013):

After the events in Lahad Datu and the pronouncements of the Malaysian Prime Minister and Philippine President, it is obvious that a deal had already been made between them concerning Sabah with the probable collusion, wittingly or unwittingly, of the MILF. But the seemingly very brave Najib Razak must realize that Aquino cannot sell Sabah. The real owners of Sabah will, sooner or later, get it back because international laws are on their side.

It is thus imperative that the Sabah issue will be put back within the Bangsa Moro issue. If MNLF or MILF claim to be representatives of the Bangsa Moro, then they should include Sabah in whatever peace talks they make with the Philippine government. Otherwise, they would just be representing themselves and not the Bangsa Moro people.

Clearly, in the Sabah issue, the fault lies on USA when it gave Mindanao and Sulu to the Filipinos in 1946 when it gave the Philippine Archipelago its INDEPENDENCE, with Manila getting the centralized power.

From the 1600s, Sulu governed and OWNED Sabah until 1946. On July 4 , 1946 America included Sulu in the new Philippine Republic with Sulu relegated to being a mere province. Just 4 days after the grant of Philippine independence, England declared North Borneo or Sabah as its COLONY.

And in 1963, England maneuvered that Sabah be included in a new country to be called MALAYSIA.

Because Sulu is not an independent country, it cannot complain to the International Court of Justice. Thus, the Sultanate was forced to transfer its sovereign rights to Philippine Republic. Unfortunately, the republic could not get back Sabah because England refused to do so and the UN could not move contrary to the wishes of England which was a huge power at that time.

Fortunately, the Sultanate revoked the transfer in 1989 because of the Philippines’ inaction and the attempt of President Cory Aquino to drop the Sabah claim.

All the troubles of the Bangsa Moro have its roots in the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines, which included Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan or Moroland. All of a sudden, with a mere stroke of the pen, the proud sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao, the Rajahnate of Buayan and the Ranao Confederation became mere provinces in a nation-state called the Philippines with all the powers controlled by Imperial Manila.

Without firing a shot, the Indios-turned-Filipinos, servants of the Spaniards for 350 years and wards of the Americans for 50 years, suddenly became Masters of the Philippine Islands with the unconquered Moros reduced to becoming second-class citizens of a corrupt Republic.

If the Moros want to have a decent life, their only choice is crystal-clear.

In October 18, some 40 Philippine soldiers, mere fresh graduates, were taken out of their scuba dive training and sent into the lions’ den – a remote and rugged village occupied by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

This is the same town where Philippine Marines “entered” in 2007 which cost them 14 lives with 10 of them mysteriously beheaded. (The report of the impartial investigating committee was not disclosed to the public in spite of MILF’s request for its public dissemination.)

MANILA, Philippines – Three Philippine Army soldiers sustained injuries during a firefight with armed bandits in Basilan Tuesday dawn, a military official said.

Col. Alex Macario, commander of Special Operations Task Force Basilan, said 3 soldiers were sent to Camp Navarro General Hospital after sustaining injuries during a firefight with suspected fugitives in Barangay Canding in Al-Barka town.

Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom) Commander Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said the firefight between the two forces is ongoing.

Two UH-1H aircrafts and an MG-520 helicopter have been sent to the area to reinforce the troops.

The military has yet to confirm if there were injuries on the side of the bandits. – Report from Jewel Reyes, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga

BASILAN, Philippines (UPDATE) – Two soldiers died and 6 others were injured in a gunbattle between government troops and rebels in Basilan province early Tuesday morning, the military said.

Army Special Forces troops were on patrol in Barangay Canding in Al-Barka town when they encountered the rebels, according to Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Randy Cabangbang.

The rebel group is observing a ceasefire amid peace talks with the Philippine government, and al-Haq accused the military of violating the truce.

Cabangbang, however, rejected the ceasefire violation charge.

In a text message sent to media earlier in the day, Cabangbang said the firefight began at around 5:30 Tuesday dawn between elemements of the Army’s Special Forces and an undetermined armed group.

No other details were made available.

The Philippine Air Force’s 3rd Air Division deployed aircraft, including UH-1H helicopters, to bring out the casualties.

“Apparently, heavy ground fire is delaying the efforts of the Air Force to evacuate the wounded soldiers,” Cabangbang said.

Unconfirmed reports say a certain Kumander Hajirik, a notorious rebel leader in the area, was also killed in the clash.

Al-Barka is a frequent flash point of a decades-long MILF armed insurgency that has claimed about 150,000 lives across the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines.

The rebellion began as an independence bid but now seeks self-rule for the region’s large Muslim minority.

In recent years Basilan has also become a hotbed of the Abu Sayyaf, Islamist militants that began operating two decades ago.

The military said the group was set up with seed funds provided by a nephew of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The militants often resort to kidnappings, mainly targeting foreigners and Christians, to raise funds from ransoms.

The group was blamed for the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that claimed more than 100 lives and was the nation’s worst terrorist attack.

Two UH-1H aircraft and an MG-520 helicopter have been sent to the area to reinforce the troops. – reports from Jewel Reyes, RJ Rosalado and David Santos, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga; Agence France-Presse

Unlike in usual military press releases, this time they (the AFP officers) focused on the military LOSSES. Obviously, they were not looking for a “Victory framing” in the media. They were gunning for the “victim frame”, i.e., portray themselves as the victims or underdogs. The press releases came even while fighting was going on. That is not normal procedure.

In the first story, the AFP statement says the soldiers were fighting “bandits”. In the second story, the AFP was fighting “rebels”, either “rogue” MILF members or Abu Sayyaf. Only in the third story did the AFP admit that it was battling MILF. That is because MILF had already made statements that the Bangsa Moro camp was attacked. The reason given by the AFP for their presence in that town, Al Barka in Basilan, was: “We were reacting to reports by civilians about the presence of armed men in the area”

Even in the news report below, 13 soldiers killed, 10 missing in Basilan clash, updated as of 10/19/2011 at 10:19 AM, the military was still claiming that they went to the area because of reports of the presence of armed men. But this time, they claim that there could be hostages. Apparently, they were laying down the premises for a story of a shoot-out with the Abu Sayyaf, who are known for taking hostages for ransom.

First of all, al Barka is MILF territory. Everybody knows that, especially after the 2007 beheading incident. In the GPH (Govt. Of the Philippines)-MILF agreements, Al-Barkah is designated as MILF’s ATS or Area of Temporary Stay.

A day or so later, after the MILF had given its side of the story, which was very logical, the AFP changed the rationale for its presence in the area. All of a sudden, the military was not there just because of “reports of the presence of armed men” but because the soldiers were on a mission to “arrest” a fugitive, Dan Laksaw Asnawi, who also happened to be an MILF commander.

DISMEMBERED COUNTRY

The military propaganda pictures the whole Mindanao as AFP territory and that it can enter any territory if it so desires, with no “by your leave” from anyone. But that is only propaganda. The reality is that MILF controls some territory. And by agreements of both parties, entry into each other’s territory needs permission from the other. There are protocols that both parties had agreed upon. The consequence of not abiding by this accord can be disastrous such as what happened in 2007 and again, on Oct. 18, 2011. Both occurred in Al Barkah, Basilan.

As MILF’s Mike Pasigan said in the National Solidarity Conference on Mindanao at UP-Diliman last year, “The Republic is already dismembered.” He is, of course, correct and it is of no use to pretend otherwise. And as Pasigan emphasized, peace with the MILF is a way to make the Republic whole again.

The MILF stated in its website and cited in a news report: “We were the ones attacked and the Special Forces, who are highly-trained, were in full battle gear and their mission was to kill as many MILF forces including Commander Dan Laksaw Asnawi”. Indeed, did the AFP expect the MILF to welcome the Special Forces to their camp and gleefully hand over anyone to the AFP?

DÉJÀ VU or COPYCAT?

When the story below (13 soldiers killed, 10 missing in Basilan clash ) appeared, anybody who knew about the 2007 incident could immediately see the connection. In 2007, Philippine Marines entered al Barkah in Basilan, supposedly in search of Italian priest Fr. Bossi. (Fr. Bossi was released a few days later in Lanao del Norte province, which is quite far from Basilan island.) Civil authorities had warned the Marines to ask MILF permission first. They didn’t. After an 8-hour gun battle, AFP announced that 14 Marines were dead. An hour later, the military said there were 10 or 11 missing. On the other hand, MILF announced it counted 23 Marines dead and 5 MILF men dead and that MILF was not holding any prisoners.

A day later, the military announced they found 10 decapitated bodies of Marines. And all hell broke loose in Manila with practically all Christian Filipinos, especially the Media, calling for an all-out war. See my post: MORO-MORO IN BASILAN

This latest Basilan encounter curiously followed the script of the 2007 clash, almost to the letter. The setting is the same town – al Barka in Basilan. The protagonists are the same – the MILF and the AFP. Instead of the Marines, the AFP’s Special Forces were sent. The same M.O. The AFP enters the territory allegedly in pursuit of “lawless elements” – the Abu Sayyaf in the 2007 incident and a prison escapee in the 2011 version. The same outcome – heavy casualty on the military side and reports of missing soldiers after the battle with the MILF denying taking any prisoners or “hostages” (as referred to by the military and the media).

Fortunately, the military script writers changed the scenario from beheading to execution. Perhaps they were afraid that people would suspect something if there would be another beheading. The comparison to the 2007 event would be inevitable. So, in the 2011 version, six “missing” hostages were found dead, allegedly executed by the MILF after capturing them. Fortunately, some of the missing soldiers turned up alive. They denied being held captive by anyone.

ABU SAYYAF GROUP

The notorious Abu Sayyaf Group finds itself again in the middle of things. In the 2007 and 2011 versions, the AFP alleged that it fought a combined MILF-ASG group. The MILF denied fighting with the ASG both times. The MILF also denied that AFP fought ASG forces.

In 2007, sketchy reports from the investigation revealed that after the battle cleared, somehow, the ASG came in and beheaded 10 Marine corpses. The findings of the impartial committee that investigated the 2007 incident were never released to the public.

Now, the AFP alleged that the 10 missing soldiers were captured by the ASG and then given to the MILF. Fortunately, the rescued soldiers belied such reports. But the AFP still insists that MILF “executed” the six soldiers. Why in the world would the MILF bother to capture soldiers and then kill them an hour so later when they could just kill them in the heat of battle? The MILF is not known to capture soldiers and hold them captive for possible prisoner swap.

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – Thirteen government soldiers were killed while 10 others went missing in a gunbattle with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Tuesday, the military said.

Fighting erupted at dawn between a military special forces unit and MILF troops on the southern island of Basilan, said the regional military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang.

Cabangbang said the military suffered 13 casualties, while 12 were wounded.

He said the gunmen could have been led by Dan Laksaw Asnawi, an MILF leader who escaped from a Basilan jail in December 2009.

He had been on trial for the beheading of 14 Philippine Marine troops in a 2007 attack in the same area, and had since been implicated in kidnapping activities, Cabangbang said.
He also believes the rebels were with some members of terrorist group Abu Sayyaf during the encounter.

“Our troops were operating based on the information of the presence of an armed group, possibly (holding) kidnap victims,” he said without naming the supposed hostages.

He said the military was in contact with MILF representatives amid fears that the rebels could have taken the missing soldiers hostage.

Von al-Haq, spokesman for MILF, earlier acknowledged its forces were involved in the fighting, which both sides said took place near the town of Al-Barka.

He could not be reached for comment late Tuesday over the whereabouts of the missing soldiers.

The rebel group is observing a ceasefire amid peace talks with the Philippine government, and al-Haq accused the military of violating the truce.

Cabangbang however rejected the ceasefire violation charge.

“They did not intrude into MILF areas,” Cabangbang said.

The Philippine Air Force’s 3rd Air Division deployed aircraft, including UH-1H helicopters, to bring out the casualties.

“Apparently, heavy ground fire is delaying the efforts of the Air Force to evacuate the wounded soldiers,” Cabangbang said.

Unconfirmed reports say a certain Kumander Hajirik, a notorious rebel leader in the area, was also killed in the clash.

Al-Barka is a frequent flash point of a decades-long MILF armed insurgency that has claimed about 150,000 lives across the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines.

The rebellion began as an independence bid but now seeks self-rule for the region’s large Muslim minority.

In recent years Basilan has also become a hotbed of the Abu Sayyaf, Islamist militants that began operating two decades ago.

The military said the group was set up with seed funds provided by a nephew of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The militants often resort to kidnappings — mainly targeting foreigners and Christians — to raise funds from ransoms.

The group was blamed for the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that claimed more than 100 lives and was the nation’s worst terrorist attack. – with reports from Jewel Reyes, RJ Rosalado and David Santos, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga; Agence France-Presse

CALLS FOR ALL-OUT WAR

Ever since the report of the al-Barkah encounter resulting into the death of 19 soldiers, the Philippine media has been grinding non-stop the call for an all-out war. Former President Estrada, Senators Lacson, Jinggoy Estrada, Ponce-Enrile are leading the call for an all-out war against the MILF.

The mass media and the social media internet networks are flooded with calls for an all-out war.

The mass media portray the AFP as the “victim” with young soldiers dying for God and country. The dead soldiers are hailed as heroes. The MILF is demonized and equated with the Abu Sayyaf. President Estrada’s “all-out war” against the MILF in 2000 is hailed as a great political and military strategy.

ESTRADA’S ALL-OUT WAR

Impeached president and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada is again the hero of most Christian Filipinos. In 2000, when he declared his all-out war vs. the MILF, his popularity rose sky-high. Ironically, only a few months later, he was impeached by the House of Representatives, tried by the Senate and overthrown by popular uprising because of corruption charges.

Erap’s all-out war was only a success in terms of propaganda. Otherwise, it was utter failure. As former President Fidel Ramos said recently, Erap’s war created one million refugees. It also cost the government so much money – estimates were around one million or more dollars a day.

Militarily, it did not amount to much. Can anybody recall how many MILF warriors died? But there was huge collateral damage – done to Moro civilians, especially the women, the children and the elderly.

What it looked like was that the military would bomb an MILF camp with cannons, howitzers and mortars, advance a few kilometers and the MILF would retreat a few kilometers and then the AFP would declare victory for that particular camp. It was done camp after camp. What actually happened was, the MILF merely changed camps. And instead of putting up huge camps with civilian communities, the MILF reverted to having smaller camps befitting a mobile, guerrilla army.

Erap’s war “succeeded” in making MILF revert to guerrilla fighting instead of a conventional fighting unit with headquarters and base camps. In military perspective, it is easier for a national army to engage in conventional fight against easily targeted huge enemy camps rather than fight small, mobile guerrilla units.

Proof that Erap’s war was a total military failure is the present strength and popularity of the MILF.

WAR WITH MILF TO STOP SUB-STATE

MILF’s sub-state proposal is very unpopular to the Christian majority. They are afraid that the Moro sub-state will eventually become a sovereign state. The AFP is also very suspicious of the sub-state proposal. Most of the political and economic elites are also against the sub-state idea.

It looks like the Basilan encounter version 2011 was a way to stop the momentum of the peace talks and demonize the MILF all over again in the media.

If the AFP simply wants to capture “rogue” (according to the government) MILF commanders, they could very well have gone against Commander Kato, whose camp has been removed as “official” MILF camp under the ceasefire accords. Attacking Commander Kato; therefore, would not involve the MILF main force.

Under the 2009 ceasefire agreement, the camps of Commander Bravo of Lanao del Norte and Commander Alim Ali Panglian of Sarangani are also not recognized as MILF camps.

Commanders Kato, Bravo and Panglian are classified as “rogue” MILF elements by the government. Kato and Bravo have a P10 million price tag each and Pangalian has a bounty prize of P 5 million.

Of course, attacking Bravo, Kato and other “rogue” MILF commanders would not be an easy task.

PNOY FOR PEACE TALKS

So far, President Aquino is principled enough to stand by his promises for more peace talks. He did not let the sentiment of the people, fanned by media, sway him. Instead, he has relieved from their posts Special Operations Task Force commander Col. Alexander Macario and Army spokesperson Col. Antonio Parlade Jr..

But can he stay the course?

PAWNS IN THE GAME OF THE GENERALS

But what is tragic here is that the lives of young soldiers, barely out of school, are, yet again, sacrificed for some agenda of the top brass.